Ron Martin: Southend United fans protest against chairman during Eastleigh win

Southend fans protested towards Ron Martin after the match

Manager Phil Brown said it "looks like the majority" of Southend fans want chairman Ron Martin out, as protests overshadowed their win over Eastleigh.

Supporters chanted and held up banners, temporarily halting the game, before invading the pitch after full-time.

In May the Shrimpers dropped out of the Football League for the first time in 101 years, with plans to sell Roots Hall to planning developers.

"It's not nice to see a chairman's name getting bandied around," Brown said.

"[Especially] when they're asking for him to be out, and it looks like that's the majority at the moment."

Southend's first home win of the National League season came in front of just 3,342 fans on Tuesday and saw them move out of the relegation zone.

Brown told BBC Essex: "It [the protests] didn't just affect the players, I think it affected the game, because the linesman on the far side was having an issue, hence the reason it took so long for the game to restart [after Southend's goal]."

Martin was confronted by fans during Southend's defeat at Solihull Moors on Saturday, being led away by security after leaving the directors box to speak to the club's travelling supporters.